‘American Idol’: Top 12 Semi-Finalists Revealed [Recap & Video]

On American Idol this Thursday, March 11, 2015, the names of the Top 12 Semi-Finalists were revealed. Last week, the Top Eight Guys and Top Eight Ladies were revealed to the viewers of America, and both groups performed. Then, it was up to the voters of America to whittle down the 16 competitors who were left on tonight’s Top 12 Semi-Finalists.

Host of American Idol, Ryan Seacrest, began the hour-long show by recapping last week’s two episodes and introducing the judges. “This is where the competition kicks into overdrive, and this is American Idol!” Ryan said.

According to Ryan, first the names of the five guys and five ladies will be revealed. Then, the judges will announce the names of two other Wild Card competitors to complete the list of 12 Semi-Finalists.

The first person who Seacrest mentioned was Sarina-Joi Crowe, 19. She sang the OneRepublic song, Love Runs Out. It was an unusual version, but the audience seemed to like the performance, clapping along and cheering.

Keith said “Be really, really careful with your pitch. It was a great way to start.”

Harry said “You are really talented and it will be a good competition. Looking forward to it.”

American Idol host, Ryan Seacrest, said that the next person to make it through based on America’s votes was Rayvon Owen. He sang Wide Awake. The audience members swayed their arms over their heads as Rayvon sang. He gave an amazing performance. He sustained one note for an uber long time.

Jennifer said “I love that you felt that moment! Great job!”

Harry said “If that is what you sound like when you’ve only been singing a little bit, I can’t wait to hear what you sound like when you sing a lot.”

When American Idol came back from the commercial break, Ryan Seacrest announced that the top semi-finalists will be meeting with Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Records, just as Taylor Swift did. Perhaps whoever the winner will eventually be, that person will also become a huge success.

Ryan Seacrest announced the next name, Daniel Seavey. He performed the song Straight Up. He did not play his guitar this time, but he still sounded great, and had the audience clapping along as he sang. The females screamed and cheered at various times during his performance.

The American Idol judges were more harsh than the audience had been. Harry said “I’m going to be honest with you. The performances haven’t been strong of late.”

Keith said “If you found an emotional song, you’d kill it.”

“The next person who survived America’s vote and made it into the Top 12 is…Maddie Walker,” American Idol host, Ryan Seacrest, said. Maddie sang the song Suitcase. The audience clapped along and cheered as she sang.

Keith said “I love that you chose that song. It suited you very well.”

Jennifer said on American Idol, “If you love the song, just sing it!”

Harry told her “I think it was a solid performance. We’ll see how it stands up to the other competitors.”

“The next person into the Top 12 is — Tyanna Jones!” American Idol host, Ryan Seacrest, said. Tyanna sang Wings, and she sounded AWESOME!

Jennifer admired her composure on the American Idol stage, as did Harry. Keith said “If you move and dress and sing like a star, then you’re a star!”

“The next person into our Top 12, after the nationwide vote, is Nick Fradiani,” American Idol host, Ryan Seacrest, stated. Nick sang In Your Eyes as he played his guitar. He made the version his own, and did a terrific job singing it.

Harry said “They screamed at the end, which they should have.”

Jennifer said “I want you to pick a song where every part of it is undeniable.”

Ryan Seacrest said that he would be revealing more names of the 12 competitors who made it into the Top 12 after another commercial break on American Idol. There have been some great performances on American Idol so far during the episode, but the best was yet to come.

“The next person to advance is — Jax!” Ryan Seacrest announced on American Idol after the break. Jax sang I Wanna Hold Your Hand by The Beatles. Then, she switched from a mellow version and added a bit more rock to it.

Keith said “It’s very clear to see why America voted for you.”

Jennifer said “It was really, really great.”

Harry said “Nice work!”

“The next person, in no particular order, is…Qaasim Middleton!” American Idol host, Ryan Seacrest, said. Qaasim sang Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder, and NAILED it! He added his own special touches to it, and he ROCKED the PLACE OUT!

Jennifer said “Your energy is so contagious! You deserve to be here!”

Keith said “You KILLED it!”

Then, American Idol took another commercial break. When the show comes back, Ryan said that the final names would be revealed, and the names of the two Instant Wildcard contestants would also be announced.

Back from the break, on American Idol, Ryan Seacrest said that Clark Beckham was the next competitor in the Top 12. He sang It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World, and did a STELLAR job, really hitting it out of the park. The American Idol audience and judges loved his performance.

Harry said “If you can take what’s ultimately the most chauvinistic song and make me enjoy it, that’s some performance.”

Both Jennifer and Keith agreed, and were also impressed.

American Idol host, Ryan Seacrest, then announced the name of the final person of the ten, Joey Cook. She played her ukulele and sang King of Spain. She had the audience clapping along as she performed the song. She KILLED IT!

Keith said “You look shocked being up there! Are you shocked?”

“Yes, a little bit,” she said.

Harry told her “You might be finding a spot up there.”

Ryan said that the names of the final two Instant Wildcard competitors would be announced by the American Idol judges after the next commercial break. Then, American Idol went to yet another break.

When American Idol returned, host Ryan Seacrest said that the ten people on the stand are the ten that America voted to move on. Jennifer announced the name of the first Instant Wild Card competitor on American Idol, Quentin Alexander. He sang Royals, and sang an amazing version of it. He had the audience cheering and screaming for him as he sang. At the end, he began to cry.

Jennifer said “Quentin, you deserve to be here! Your emotion is what makes you a great artist.”

Harry said “Were there some pitch problems? Yes, not that it mattered so much with that song.”

Ryan said “One empty stool, one Instant Wildcard left.”

Keith thanked everyone who did not make it on American Idol. He said the lady who would be moving on is Adanna Duru. She sang You and I by Lady Gaga. She made it her own version, and WAILED on it! The audience clapped along and cheered as she finished singing.

Harry said “Congratulations on making it to this point! It was really, really out of tune.”

Keith said “You’ve got something going on, Adanna!”

The names of the Top 12 Semi-Finalists were revealed tonight on American Idol. It was a terrific episode, but it was sad to see the four competitors who did not make it leave. Qaasim Middleton, Nick Fradiani, Joey Cook, Sarina-Joi Crowe, Daniel Seavey, Jax, Rayvon Owen, Tyanna Jones, Maddie Walker, and Clark Beckham were the Top Ten American Idol competitors that voters across America voted for, and the two Instant Wildcard competitors who will also be moving on, who were chosen by the judges, were Quentin Alexander and Adanna Duru. Empire will be showing its season finale next Wednesday. Be sure to tune in to American Idol next Thursday to see who gets cut next!